ROBERTO MANCINI has revealed his heartache at helping his enfant terrible Mario Balotelli secure his dream move to AC Milan.

The Manchester City boss has spoken at length for the first time about the agonising final days of 22-year-old Balotelli’s colourful two and a half years at the club.

Mancini insists Balotelli was offered the choice to stay or go after the Italian giants met the £19million asking price.

His departure leaves the Premier League champions with just three main-line strikers for today’s visit of Liverpool – and the rest of the season.

A downbeat Mancini acceded to Balotelli’s desire to return to Italy to play for the club he supported as a boy. Mancini said: “It was good for the club, and for Mario. It was important for him to go back to Italy. When we had this chance to do it, Mario wanted it.

“I said to him, ‘If you want to stay, I’m happy. If you want to go, I’ll help you to go.’ It was his decision.

“I’m happy for him because I love Mario and for me, it’s more important that he’s happy and that he can play. It will be easier for him in Italy.”

But Mancini doesn’t believe English football has seen the last of a player who divided opinions among fans. Mancini added: “Will he ever come back to England? Why not? Mario is only 22, so I think so. Anyway he will probably miss the Press and paparazzi in the next year.”

In fact, Balotelli said those were two of the things he hated about England. Back in Milan, he was asked what he liked and disliked about this country. “Good things? Only when I get to Carrington to train, so my team-mates and manager,” he said.

“Bad things? Everything else – the Press, weather, food, the way you drive.”

The groans over his departure would have been heard all along the photographers’ freeway which runs alongside Manchester City’s training ground. For the past two and a half years the snappers, complete with stepladders, have made it open season on bust-ups or skirmishes involving the club’s stars.

Top of the spying list – and guaranteed to help pay the mortgage – was Balotelli. He never let them down.

The fact that it’s a public right of way along the fence skirting City’s workplace made it easy pickings. Since Balotelli’s exit the number of photographers on the training ground perimeter has decreased dramatically.

Mancini is more bothered about City’s goals decreasing compared to last season. Carlos Tevez has scored only once in the last 11 games, Edin Dzeko has scored one in his last five and Sergio Aguero has yet to score in three games since his return from injury.

I said to him, ‘If you want to stay, I’m happy. If you want to go, I’ll help you to go

Roberto Mancini

Mancini added: “I don’t know why it’s happened. We’re also missing Mario’s goals. Last season, he scored 15 and this season, he only got one. We’re missing seven, eight, nine goals and if we had got these, we probably would have four or five points more.”

He still believes that City can hold on to their title by cutting the gap on leaders Manchester United, especially with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side set to be embroiled in Champions League battles with Real Madrid.

“There are 14 games to the end and nothing is decided,” Mancini said. “It would be good for United to beat Real as it will mean another two games for them. I’ll go there and support them with a red and white flag.

“We won the league last season when we were eight points behind with six games to go. This league is long, so we still have a chance.”